What does the chemical composition of the Mars meteorite indicate the possibility of living at its depth? / Article / LSM.lv

Brown University researchers FoundAll the necessary elements can be found on Mars, so today the microbes may still be in the depths of the dust-covered planet, according to the university’s website.

NASA is self-propelledDiligence“I started looking for organic matter on Mars. Meanwhile, Earth researchers have concluded that the depths of Mars could be a great place to see potential life on the red planet. Scientists used NASA’s self-propelled vehicle.”Curiosity“Data obtained during the voyage, as well as the meteorites of Mars were found in different parts of our planet.

A study published in Astrobiology has analyzed the chemical composition of Mars meteorites and found that rocks on the surface of Mars may produce the same chemical force that confirms the presence of microorganisms in the depths of the Earth.

U.S. Scientists have discovered that these Martian rocks, in prolonged contact with water, can generate the chemical energy needed to stabilize the colony of microbes that inhabit the dark underworld of our planet. Since these meteorites may have come from almost anywhere on the surface of Mars, the findings suggest that most of the Red Planet may have lived underground.

In recent decades, scientists have discovered that the depths of the earth have a vast biological or natural area that is often distinct from what is happening above the ground. In the absence of groundwater, these tiny organisms survive by by-products of chemical reactions that occur when rocks come in contact with water.

One such reaction is radioactivity, which reacts when radioactive elements in rocks enter their pores and layers. The reaction breaks down water molecules into their elements, namely hydrogen and oxygen. The remaining hydrogen dissolved in groundwater dissolves, and minerals such as pyrite absorb oxygen to form sulfate minerals. Just as cars use fuel, microbes can absorb dissolved hydrogen as an energy and “burn” that “fuel” using the oxygen stored in the sulfates.

Such micro-organisms have been found on Earth, for example, in some Canadian mines, where they lived almost two kilometers deep – in water that has not seen daylight for more than a billion years.

So scientists wanted to find out if there could be microbes on Mars that get energy from radiation. Researchers are looking for radioactive elements on Mars, such as thorium, uranium, and sulfide ores that can be converted to sulfate and “hide” water in holes.

In many types of Mars meteorites, it has been found that all of these elements are present in sufficient quantities to support the existence of microorganisms, such as the Earth.

This is especially true in the case of the rock-lit regolite extracted from 3.6 billion ancient Martian meteorites. Unlike Earth, Mars does not have a plate tectonic system, which constantly affects brittle rocks, so such ancient reliefs on the dust-covered planet are still mostly intact.

This discovery will allow researchers to develop a research project that will look for evidence of possible life in the depths of Mars. Findings to date suggest that Mars once had an underground water system, and researchers believe there is reason to believe Groundwater Not found there yet. The new discovery shows that if there is groundwater on Mars, there is also the potential for life forms to exist.

“In this case, the great impression of exploring the depths of Mars is that almost everywhere there is groundwater, which is more likely to encounter enough chemical force to support the presence of microorganisms,” said Jesse Tornas, a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Reaction Operation Laboratory. . “We do not know if life on Mars ever evolved beneath the earth, but if so, we hope there will be enough energy to keep these creatures alive to this day.”

Report an error